Interventional Removal of Travelling Microthrombi Using Targeted Magnetic Microbubble.

Microthrombus is one of the major causes of the sequelae of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19 and leads to subsequent embolism and necrosis. Due to their small size and irregular movements, the early detection and efficient removal of microthrombi in vivo remain a great challenge. In this work, an interventional method is developed to identify and remove the traveling microthrombi using targeted-magnetic-microbubbles (TMMBs) and an interventional magnetic catheter. The thrombus-targeted drugs are coated on the TMMBs and magnetic nanoparticles are shelled inside, which allow not only targeted adhesion onto the traveling microthrombi, but also the effective capture by the magnetic catheter in the vessel. In the proof-of-concept experiments in the rat models, the concentration of microthrombus is reduced by more than 60% in 3 min, without damaging the organs. It is a promising method for treating microthrombus issues.

Effect of Ultrasound on Thrombus debris during Sonothrombolysis in a Microfluidic device.

Microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis has been proven to be a non-invasive and efficient method for thrombolysis. Nevertheless, there is a potential risk that the thrombus debris generated during the dissolution of the original thrombus are too large and can lead to hazardous emboli. Using a sonothrombolysis microfluidic platform, we investigated the effects of ultrasound power, thrombolytic agent and microbubble concentration on the size of thrombus debris with the example of microbubble-mediated sonothrombolysis of arterial thrombus. Additionally, we studied the effects of ultrasound power on the size and shape of thrombus debris produced by acute and chronic arterial sonothrombolysis. In acute arterial sonothrombolysis, ultrasound power has significant effect on the size of thrombus debris and steadily increases with the increase of ultrasound power. Conversely, in chronic arterial sonothrombolysis, the size of thrombus debris is minimally affected by ultrasound power. Using the sonothrombolysis microfluidic platform, the relationship between ultrasound power and the safety of sonothrombolysis has been illustrated, and the sonothrombolysis microfluidic platform is demonstrated to be a promising tool for further studies on the process of sonothrombolysis.

A novel approach to evaluation of tumor response for advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma using the intertumoral heterogeneity response score.

Treatment response and prognosis estimation in advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma are challenged by the significant heterogeneity of the disease. The current Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria, despite providing a basis for solid tumor response evaluation, do not fully encompass this heterogeneity. To better represent these nuances, we introduce the intertumoral heterogeneity response score (THRscore), a measure built upon and expanding the RECIST criteria. This retrospective study included patients with 3-10 measurable advanced lung adenocarcinoma lesions who underwent first-line chemotherapy or targeted therapy. The THRscore, derived from the coefficient of variation in size for each measurable tumor before and 4-6 weeks posttreatment, unveiled a correlation with patient outcomes. Specifically, a high THRscore was associated with shorter progression-free survival, lower tumor response rate, and a higher tumor mutation burden. These associations were further validated in an external cohort, confirming THRscore's effectiveness in stratifying patients based on progression risk and treatment response, and enhancing the utility of RECIST in capturing complex tumor behaviors in lung adenocarcinoma. These findings affirm the promise of THRscore as an enhanced tool for tumor response assessment in advanced lung adenocarcinoma, extending the RECIST criteria's utility.

Heteroatom Structural Engineering of Conjugated Porous Polymers Enhances Photocatalytic Nicotinamide Cofactor Regeneration.

Photocatalysis is an eco-friendly method to regenerate nicotinamide (NADH) cofactors, which is essential for biotransformation over oxidoreductases. Organic polymers exhibit high stability, biocompatibility and functional designability as photocatalysts, but still suffering from rapid charge recombination. Herewith the heteroatom structural engineering of donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) conjugated porous polymers were conducted to promote charge transfer and photocatalytic NADH regeneration. The electron delocalization of polymer photocatalysts can be readily tuned by changing the electron density of the donor unit, leading to faster charge separation and better photocatalytic performance. The optimum sulfur-doped polymer exhibits the highest NADH regeneration yield of 47.4 % in 30 min and 94.1 % in 4 h, which can drive the biocatalytic C=C bond reduction of 2-cyclohexen-1-one by ene-reductase, giving the corresponding cyclohexanone yield of 96.7 % in 10 h. Moreover, the oxygen-doped polymer, from biomass derived 2,5-diformylfuran, exhibits comparable photocatalytic activity to the sulfur-doped CPP, suggesting the potential of furan as alternative donor unit to thiophene.

Reliable quantitative detection of uric acid in urine by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with endogenous internal standard.

Abnormal levels of uric acid (UA) in urine serve as warning signs for gout and metabolic cardiovascular diseases, necessitating the monitoring of UA levels for early prevention. However, the current analytical methods employed suffer from limitations in terms of inadequate suitability for home-based applications and the requirement of non-invasive procedures. In this approach, creatinine, a metabolite with a constant excretion rate, was incorporated as an endogenous internal standard (e-IS) for calibration, presenting a rapid, pretreatment-free, and accurate strategy for quantitative determination of UA concentrations. By utilizing urine creatinine as an internal reference value to calibrate the signal fluctuation of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of UA, the quantitative accuracy can be significantly improved without the need for an external internal standard. Due to the influence of the medium, UA, which carries a negative charge, is selectively adsorbed by Au@Ag nanoparticles functionalized with hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) in this system. Furthermore, a highly convenient detection method was developed, which eliminates the need for pre-processing and minimizes matrix interference by simple dilution. The method was applied to the urine detection of different volunteers, and the results were highly consistent with those obtained using the UA colorimetric kit (UACK). The detection time of SERS was only 30 s, which is 50 times faster than UACK. This quantitative strategy of using urinary creatinine as an internal standard to correct the SERS intensity of uric acid is also expected to be extended to the quantitative detection needs of other biomarkers in urine.

Enhanced Anticoagulation of Hierarchy Liquid Infused Surfaces in Blood Flow.

Liquid infused surfaces (LIS) hold remarkable potential in anticoagulation. However, liquid loss of LIS in the bloodstream remains a challenge toward its clinical application. Here, micronano hierarchy structures are obtained on the titanium alloy substrate by regulating the microspheres' distribution. When the gap between the microspheres is smaller than the diameter of the red blood cell (RBC), the LIS is more stable under the blood wash and presents a better anticoagulation performance. The proper interval is found to prevent the RBCs from entering the gap and remove the liquid on the surface. The retained thickness of the liquid film is measured by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The LIS is applied on the front guide vane of an artificial heart pump and exhibits significant improvement on anticoagulation in the blood circulation in vitro for 25 h. The techniques and findings can be used to optimize the anticoagulation performance of LIS-related biomedical implant devices.

Study of 256 fiber array biaxial LiDAR optical assembly measurements.

This paper presents a method for measuring the optical assembly results based on multi-beam biaxial LiDAR. This method analyzes the optical assembly parameters of a LiDAR system affecting the LiDAR operation, and an experimental measurement system is built using a collimator to simulate the infinity imaging field. An InGaAs infrared camera is used to take pictures of the laser spot from the LiDAR transmitter and receiver, and then fit the laser spot images with Gaussian equations to calculate the biaxial LiDAR optical assembly results. Finally, the possible effecting factors of LiDAR alignment results are analyzed. This method is experimentally proven to achieve the measurement of the optical assembly results of a large scale multi-beam LiDAR. The possibility of further optimizing the measurement method by shaping the transmit laser is also reported.

The exact phenomenon and early signaling events of the endothelial cytoskeleton response to ultrasound.

Low-intensity ultrasound can be applied for medical imaging and disease treatment in clinical and experimental studies. However, the biological effects of ultrasound on blood vessels, especially endothelial cells (ECs) are still unclear. In this study, the laws of endothelial cytoskeleton changes under ultrasound induction are investigated. ECs are exposed to low-intensity ultrasound, and the cytoskeletal morphology is analyzed by a filamentous (F)-actin staining technique. We further analyze the characteristics of cytoskeleton rupture using indirect immunofluorescence techniques and cytoskeleton electron microscopy. Finally, the biological effects induced by ultrasound at the tissue level are investigated in an ex vivo blood-vessel model. Significant changes in cytoskeletal structure are detected when induced by ultrasound, including cytoskeletal rupture, blebbing and apoptosis. Moreover, a temporal threshold of ECs injury under different ultrasonic intensities is established. This study illustrates a pattern of significant changes in the cytoskeletal structure of ECs induced by ultrasound. The finding serves as a guide for selecting a safe threshold for clinical ultrasound applications.

Low-noise switched integration amplifier for low-photon flux radiometry.

A photodetector signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over 1000 is one of the prerequisites to realizing the correlated photon radiometric benchmark with a relative standard uncertainty of 0.3% (k=1). To improve the SNR for low-photon flux detection, a switched integration amplifier (SIA) is designed to achieve a noise equivalent current of a fA level. A wide spectrum and low-photon flux measurement facility are built to evaluate the SNR at a photon rate of 108 s -1 within the spectral range of 350-1000 nm. SNRs of the SIA-based Si photodetector are shown to be greater than 1000 at representative wavelengths.

Enhancing the Production of Xenocoumacin 1 in Xenorhabdus nematophila CB6 by a Combinatorial Engineering Strategy.

Xenocoumacin 1 (Xcn1) is an excellent antimicrobial natural product against Phytophthora capsici. However, the commercial development of Xcn1 is hindered by the low yield, which results in high application costs. In this study, multiple metabolic strategies, including blocking the degradation pathway, promoter engineering, and deletion of competing biosynthetic gene clusters, were employed to improve the production of Xcn1, which was increased from 0.07 to 0.91 g/L. The formation of Xcn1 reached 1.94 g/L in the TB medium with the final strain T3 in a shake flask and further reached 3.52 g/L in a 5 L bioreactor, which is the highest yield ever reported. The engineered strain provides a valuable platform for production of Xcn1, and the possible commercial development of the biofungicide. We anticipate that the metabolic engineering strategies utilized in this study and the constructed constitutive promoter library can be widely applied to other bacteria of the genera Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus.

Cross-calibration method based on an automated observation site.

Cross-calibration methods are widely used in high-precision remote sensor calibrations and ensure observational consistency between sensors. Because two sensors must be observed under the same or similar conditions, the cross-calibration frequency is greatly reduced; performing cross-calibrations on Aqua/Terra MODIS, Sentinel-2A/Sentinel-2B MSI and other similar sensors is difficult due to synchronous-observation limitations. Additionally, few studies have cross-calibrated water-vapor-observation bands sensitive to atmospheric changes. In recent years, standard automated observation sites and unified processing technology networks, such as an Automated Radiative Calibration Network (RadCalNet) and an automated vicarious calibration system (AVCS), have provided automatic observation data and means for independently, continuously monitoring sensors, thus offering new cross-calibration references and bridges. We propose an AVCS-based cross-calibration method. By limiting the observational-condition differences when two remote sensors transit over wide temporal ranges through AVCS observation data, we improve the cross-calibration opportunity. Thereby, cross-calibrations and observation consistency evaluations between the abovementioned instruments are realized. The influence of AVCS-measurement uncertainties on the cross-calibration is analyzed. The consistency between the MODIS cross-calibration and sensor observation is within 3% (5% in SWIR bands); that for the MSI is within 1% (2.2% in the water-vapor-observation band); and for the cross-calibration of Aqua MODIS and the two MSI, the consistency between the cross-calibration-predicted TOA reflectance and the sensor-measured TOA reflectance was within 3.8%. Thus, the absolute AVCS-measurement uncertainty is also reduced, especially in the water-vapor-observation band. This method can be applied to cross-calibrations and measurement consistency evaluations of other remote sensors. Later, the spectral-difference influences on cross-calibrations will be further studied.

Immobilization of Enzymes on Cyclodextrin-Anchored Dehiscent Mesoporous TiO2 for Efficient Photoenzymatic Hydroxylation.

A three-in-one heterogeneous catalyst (UPO@dTiO2-CD) was fabricated by grafting cyclodextrins (CDs) on the dehiscent TiO2 (dTiO2) surface and subsequently immobilizing unspecific peroxygenase (rAaeUPO), which exhibited double enhanced electron/mass transfer in photo-enzymatic enantioselective hydroxylation of the C-H bond. The tunable anatase/rutile phase ratio and dehiscent mesoporous architectures of dTiO2 and the electron donor feature and hydrophobic inner cavity of the CDs are independently responsible for accelerating both electron and mass transfer. The coordination of the photocatalytic and enzymatic steps was achieved by structural and compositional regulation. The optimized UPO@dTiO2-CD not only displayed high catalytic efficiency (turnover number and turnover frequency of rAaeUPO up to >65,000 and 91 min-1, respectively) but also exhibited high stability and reusability.

Nanodroplet-Coated Microbubbles Used in Sonothrombolysis with Two-Step Cavitation Strategy.

Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and sonothrombolysis is a promising method for its treatment. However, the slow diffusion of the thrombolytic agents into the thrombus results in slow recanalization. Here, nanodroplet-coated microbubbles (NCMBs) are designed and fabricated and a two-step cavitation strategy is used to accelerate the thrombolysis. The first cavitation of the NCMBs, cavitation and collapse of the microbubbles induced by low frequency ultrasound, drives the nanodroplets on the shell into the thrombus, while the second cavitation, the phase-change and volume expansion of drug-loaded nanodroplets triggered by high frequency ultrasound, loosens the thrombus by the sono-porosity effect. This two-step cavitation of the NCMBs is verified using a fibrin agarose model, where a rapid diffusion of the thrombolytic agents is observed. Furthermore, the NCMBs reach much higher thrombolysis efficiency in both in vitro and proof-of-concept experiments performed with living mice. The nanodroplet-coated microbubbles are a promising diffusion medicines carrier for efficient drug delivery.

Interventional Microbubble Enhanced Sonothrombolysis on Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is often used in the treatment of heart failure. However, 4% to 9% implanted LVAD will have thrombosis problem in one year, which is fatal to the patient's life. In this work, an interventional sonothrombolysis (IST) method is developed to realize the thrombolysis on LVAD. A pair of ultrasound transducer rings is installed on the shell of LVAD, and drug-loaded microbubbles are injected into the LVAD through the interventional method. The microbubbles are adhere on the thrombus with the coated thrombus-targeted drugs, and the thrombolytic drugs carried by the bubbles are brought into the thrombus by the cavitation of bubbles under the ultrasound. In a proof-of-concept experiment in a live sheep model, the thrombus on LVAD is dissolved in 30 min, without damages on LVADs and organs. This IST exhibits to be more efficient and safer compared with other thrombolysis methods on LVAD.

Measured uncertainty analysis of detection efficiency of single photon detectors with correlated photons calibration.

Detection efficiency calibration based on correlated photons is a high precision calibration method at the single photon level. During the calibration process, measured time, photon count rate, and channel detection efficiency are important experimental parameters that affect the measured uncertainty of detection efficiency. This paper constructs simulation models of measured uncertainty with experimental parameters by the correlated photons method. Our experiment measures and predicts the uncertainty when parameters change. This research provides a quantitative basis for experimental parameter settings of calibration of single photon detectors using correlated photons technology.

Opto-mechanical design and calibration of a hyperspectral irradiance monitor.

A hyperspectral irradiance monitor (HIM) is designed to measure the direct solar spectral irradiance on the ground, which can be used for research on climate change and vicarious calibration. The spectrometer uses a Féry prism to disperse and converge light, and a linear image sensor (NMOS) measures the spectral irradiance ranging from 400 nm to 1100 nm. The instrument utilizes two flat mirrors to fold the optical path, and optical software is used to optimize the key parameters. The dispersion equation of the prism and two characteristic wavelengths of the laser are utilized for the spectral calibration, for which the uncertainty of the spectral calibration is less than 0.8 nm. A standard lamp is used for the spectral irradiance calibration, for which the uncertainty of the spectral irradiance calibration is less than 2.78% (k=2). The instrument runs stably in the field.

High-Throughput Zwitterion-Modified MoS2 Membranes: Preparation and Application in Dye Desalination.

Although loose nanofiltration membranes have been extensively studied for dye desalination, high-throughput membranes with antifouling and antibacterial properties are still highly needed. In this study, a zwitterion-modified molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) dual-layer loose nanofiltration membrane was prepared with the integration of antibacterial, antifouling, and high-flux properties. To be specific, MoS2 nanosheets were loaded on a polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membrane through pressure-assisted self-assembly. Then, poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) was coated on the surface of the MoS2 membrane via a simple polydopamine (PDA)-assisted one-step codeposition to prepare PSBMA/PDA/MoS2 nanofiltration membranes. Elemental and morphological analyses confirmed the formation of the MoS2 layer and PSBMA/PDA coating. In addition, the effect of the PSBMA amount and codeposition time on surface properties and membrane performances was investigated. Under optimum conditions, the as-prepared membrane showed excellent water permeance of 262 LMH/bar with good dye rejection (99.8% for methylene blue) and salt permeability, as well as excellent antifouling and antibacterial properties benefiting from the synergy of PSBMA/PDA coating layers and MoS2 layers.

The role of beauty as currency belief in acceptance of cosmetic surgery and career aspirations among Chinese young women.

The current study tested the "beauty as currency" hypothesis in the framework of Objectification theory with a sample of Chinese young women. Four hundred and four college women completed a pencil-and-paper questionnaire. We hypothesized that beauty as currency would be associated with acceptance of cosmetic surgery and career aspirations through the serial meditation of self-objectification and body surveillance. The results indicated that self-objectification and body surveillance mediated the relation between women's belief in beauty as currency and acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Body surveillance mediated the relationship between beauty as currency and career aspirations. These findings provide further evidence for the "beauty as currency" hypothesis, suggesting the feminine beauty ideology may lead to women's higher acceptance of cosmetic surgery and lower career aspirations via the self-objectifying process. Our study provides some implications for understanding the effect of women's ideologies on gender system change.

Vicarious Radiometric Calibration of Ocean Color Bands for FY-3D/MERSI-II at Lake Qinghai, China.

To calibrate the low signal response of the ocean color (OC) bands and test the stability of the Fengyun-3D (FY-3D)/Medium Resolution Spectral Imager II (MERSI-II), an absolute radiometric calibration field test of FY-3D/MERSI-II at the Lake Qinghai Radiometric Calibration Site (RCS) was carried out in August 2018. The lake surface and atmospheric parameters were mainly measured by advanced observation instruments, and the MODerate spectral resolution atmospheric TRANsmittance algorithm and computer model (MODTRAN4.0) was used to simulate the multiple scattering radiance value at the altitude of the sensor. The results showed that the relative deviations between bands 9 and 12 are within 5.0%, while the relative deviations of bands 8, and 13 are 17.1%, and 12.0%, respectively. The precision of the calibration method was verified by calibrating the Aqua/Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP)/Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (VIIRS), and the deviation of the calibration results was evaluated with the results of the Dunhuang RCS calibration and lunar calibration. The results showed that the relative deviations of NPP/VIIRS were within 7.0%, and the relative deviations of Aqua/MODIS were within 4.1% from 400 nm to 600 nm. The comparisons of three on-orbit calibration methods indicated that band 8 exhibited a large attenuation after launch and the calibration results had good consistency at the other bands except for band 13. The uncertainty value of the whole calibration system was approximately 6.3%, and the uncertainty brought by the field surface measurement reached 5.4%, which might be the main reason for the relatively large deviation of band 13. This study verifies the feasibility of the vicarious calibration method at the Lake Qinghai RCS and provides the basis and reference for the subsequent on-orbit calibration of FY-3D/MERSI-II.

Enzyme immobilized in BioMOFs: Facile synthesis and improved catalytic performance.

Biological metal-organic frameworks (BioMOFs), an emerging sub-class of MOFs, are prepared from metals and biological ligands (bioligands). Benefit from the low toxicity and good biocompatibility of bioligands, BioMOFs can be used in biomedicine and biocatalysis. In this work, a novel approach was developed for fabricating BioMOFs materials (Co-Cys BioMOFs) from cobalt salt and cystine, meanwhile nitrile hydratase (NHase) was in-situ encapsulated during the synthesis process. The obtained NHase-BioMOFs biocomposits named NHase@Co-Cys was characterized by SEM, TEM, XPS, etc. The preparation parameters and stabilities of NHase@Co-Cys were investigated. The maximum encapsulation yield and specific activity of NHase@Co-Cys were 92.71% and 139.04 U/gimmobilized NHase, respectively. The thermal stability of NHase@Co-Cys was improved by approximately 5-fold at 55 °C. The activity of NHase after immobilization was retained nearly 60% after incubating at pH 4.0 and 10.0 for 7 h. The NHase@Co-Cys showed similar catalytic capacity compared with free NHase in producing nicotinamide. After 7 h of reaction catalyzed by free NHase (14.51 U) and NHase@Co-Cys (12.76 U), the yield of nicotinamide was 90.94% and 86.36%, respectively. The activity of NHase@Co-Cys remained 83.85% of the original activity after recycling for 10 times. These results suggested that the NHase@Co-Cys is an effective approach to enhance the enzymatic properties and demonstrated a broad application prospect in industrial production.